The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the prequel to the well-known Hunger Games series. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shares President Snow’s villain origin story and the beginnings of the Hunger Games that we know. The book was beautifully adapted onto the big screen, although missing some key components, the cinematography was amazing and captured the evil nature of Coriolanus Snow.
Rachel Zegler did a perfect job as Lucy Grey, she was everything I expected from the books and more. When I watched her in West Side Story in 2021, her singing was sensational but since then it has only grown to something I can only call unbelievable. She is a powerhouse of an actress, singer and overall performer. I’d also like to point out that all her singing in the movie was done live on set and not done in a studio and dubbed- WHAT. She is perfection and did a fabulous job. I hope we see more of Rachel Zegler in theaters. No complaints here.
Tom Blythe as Coriolanus Snow did an impressive job taking over Donald Sutherland’s President Snow who we all love to hate. I think that he took Snow and made him his own, while also deepening his character. Blythe brought the feelings and turned them into body language and facial expressions. My favorite part was during the second act, during the actual Hunger Games, Blythe showed Snow’s choice between good and bad so charmingly. The chemistry between Blythe and Zegler left sparks flying in theaters all over the country- They were amazing together.
My biggest complaint is that the movie lacked Snow’s inner monologue. Tom Blythe did an awesome job bringing some of his inner monologues into his acting, but the overall movie was missing. Without the monologue, audiences can’t understand how actually insane and morally wrong Snow is. Snow’s thoughts and inner conversations in the book bring out his villainous side, but in the movie, it comes off as a bit snobbish rather than “future dictator.” The movie also missed some scenes from the book, but those scenes wouldn’t have made sense without the monologue.
Overall, I thought the movie was fantastic. Great soundtrack, great costumes, great acting from the whole cast, and an amazing story from Suzanne Collins. So much rewatchability, each time I’ve seen it I’ve noticed new things and been able to admire the beauty of this movie a little more. 100% Totally Recommend to any Moviegoer.
